Brock Turner: Stanford Swimmer’s Rape Sentence Is ‘Steep Price To Pay For 20 Minutes Of Action,’ His Dad Said

Brock Turner was sentenced to only six months in a county jail for the rape of a drunk, unconscious woman. The former Stanford swimmer could have faced up to 14 years in prison for the multiple felony counts levied against him.

As many are aghast at the lenient rape sentence handed down by the judge, Brock Turner’s dad’s comments about the penalty his three-time All-American son will face have gone viral and sparked heated debate on social media. Dan Turner said the former Stanford swimmer paid “a steep price for 20 minutes of action,” according to the Guardian.

Brock Turner, 20, was convicted of raping a non-student who was on the Stanford campus to attend a fraternity party. The unidentified woman was reportedly passed out near a dumpster when the sexual assault occurred. Two graduate students happened upon the attack and restrained the swimmer after he tried to flee.

Santa Clara County Superior Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Brock Turner to three years probation after he completes the six-month sentence at the California county jail. The former Stanford swimmer must also complete a management program for sexual offenders and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Fox News reports.

During the rape trial, the victim read an impact statement, which reportedly moved some folks in the courtroom to tears.

“My independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition. I became closed off, angry, self-deprecating, tired, irritable, empty. I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I don’t want my body anymore. I was terrified of it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else.”

Dan Turner’s comments about the rape sentence went viral after Stanford law professor Michele Dauber tweeted what was said in the pre-sentencing report. The elder Turner said the swimmer’s life had been “deeply altered forever.”

“He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile,” Dan Turner reportedly said about the impact the rape conviction and sentence would have on his son. “His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. You can see this in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, his lack of appetite.”

The father of the former Stanford swimmer went on to say that his son had always “enjoyed certain types of food” and is a very good cook.

“I was always excited to get him a big rib eye steak or get his favorite snack for him,” Dan Turner continued. “These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in many ways. His life will never be the one he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. This is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of actions out of his 20 years of life.”

The former Stanford swimmer’s father also lamented the impact the sex offender status will have on where his son can live, work, and visit. He staunchly maintains his son has never been violent with anyone, including the night he was arrested for rape.

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District Attorney Jeff Rosen had asked the judge to sentence Brock Turner to six years in prison. Judge Persky said the Stanford swimmer’s “lack of a criminal history” was taken into account during the sentencing phase of the trail. Both Turner and the victim were reportedly highly intoxicated when the sexual assault occurred.

“The punishment does not fit the crime. The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of this sexual assault, or the victim’s ongoing trauma. Campus rape is no different than off-campus rape. Rape is rape,” the Santa Clara prosecutor told the media. “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him… I think he will not be a danger to others.”